Synthesizing Information

1. Synthesizing Information What it means and How to do it

2. What does synthesizing information and drawing conclusions mean? • When we synthesize information, we are gathering information from two or more resources and combining them to discuss one topic. • We do this to write papers or to answer questions. • You need to make connections among the different pieces of information and then draw conclusions.

3. Taking a Closer Look • Sometimes authors do not always state things directly, so you have to ask yourself what the author suggests or implies in the writing. • Based on that information, you are then able to draw a conclusion. • You need to “read between the lines” or “put two and two together” to draw conclusions.

4. From Concluding to Synthesizing • Once you have drawn conclusions from your texts, you will often be asked to use facts from these sources as the basis for a new conclusion. • This is synthesizing. • You are sometimes asked to synthesize textual information with visual information (graphs, charts, maps, etc.) too.

5. Questions to Ask Yourself • What is the author suggesting here? • What other ideas make sense based on this passage? • How do the visual materials add to the text? • How does combining textual with visual information make ideas and information easier to understand?

6. Remember: • You should draw conclusions based on information in the passage, along with what you know. • When you synthesize, you are drawing a conclusion based on the information from different sources. • Synthesize the information prior to answering any questions to assure your answers are complete and based on all information.